What is A Co-op?

So What is an Electric Cooperative?

New Enterprise REC is an electric cooperative owned by the people we serve. The co-op was incorporated in November 1938. Rural electric cooperatives were built by people living in rural America who wanted to have the same conveniences as their city neighbors. Investor owned utilities won't supply these folks with the wonder of electricity because there wasn't money in it. After all these years electric cooperatives are still locally owned and operated. More than 625 cooperatives in 45 states throughout the United States have formed an alliance called Touchstone Energy®.

Touchstone Energy provides added value to electric co-ops through a variety of resources. The brand was primarily designed to be a cost-efficient communications and advertising tool. With advertising budgets being very limited, communicating with consumer-members can be a challenge at times. Electric cooperatives have always joined together to help each other. Touchstone Energy cooperatives have joined together as a national network, pooling resources to deliver messages that show why we are different than investor owned utilities.

Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives is a national network of electric cooperatives across 46 states that provides resources and leverages partnerships to help member cooperatives and their employees better engage and serve their members. By working together, Touchstone Energy cooperatives stand as a source of power and information to their 32 million member-owners every day.